How Much Hair Are You Supposed to Lose Per Day?

And how to make sure you’re in the normal range.

A friend has been asking me to write this blog post for a long time, and I’ve decide to indulge her either because I don’t have another idea or because I am a committed public servant. How much hair is a woman supposed to lose per day? Incredible question.

When my friend, whose name is Leah, not naming names, asked me to write this post originally, I told her the answer right away: about 100 strands of hair. I knew this because every woman googles the question “how much hair am I supposed to lose per day” at multiple points in her life, because to be a long-haired woman is to be in a constant state of losing a stunning amount of hair, and does that mean you’re sick? It doesn’t. But don’t listen to me. Like with everything, I don’t know for sure and am just trying to remember what I read online last time and then filling in the gaps with guesses. What does online say now, this time? Let’s see. Oh but first I drew 100 strands of hair.

It’s normal to shed between 50 and 100 hairs a day. When the body sheds significantly more hairs every day, a person has excessive hair shedding. The medical term for this condition is telogen effluvium.

I spoke to celebrity stylist Ken Paves, who said that women naturally lose between 50–100 strands of hair per day. That number can increase when you rough it up with shampoo, have longer hair, or wear it up in elastic bands frequently.

OK, that’s enough. But what does 100 hairs look like, and how do you know if you’re in the normal range? Well, as I’ve already shown you, 100 hairs looks like this:

It’s silly to think you’d be able to count all of the hairs you lose per day because you’re not always in your apartment although you are there most of the time. What about the hairs you lose when you’re out of coffee and have to walk to the cafe? So here is what you do:

1. Put a Large Bag Over Your Entire Body

2. Lie Down on the Ground

3. Close Your Eyes for Two Weeks

4. After Two Weeks, Count the Fallen Hair

Is the fallen hair in the range of 1400 strands? If so, congratulations: